Today, as we collectively herald spring,

A middle-aged stranger mocks at my loss,

Poking fun at my childhood memories,

When spring lorded over my beloved Delhi,

For a few priceless weeks,

As winter ebbed, &summer was still faraway,

When I danced silly to the gusts of rejuvenation,

&the tesu colored my heart with joy,

When the sparrow serenaded to life,

My small dreams riding on its tender wings,

The spirited parrots played on the branches of trees,

Making me exult with joy and happiness,

When the sight of prancing squirrels,

Infused me with bouts of verve, 

When the maidaans draped a carpet of blooms &butterflies,

With bougainvillea flowers playing a Holi of white, red &orange,

When folklore of the days gone by, were still shared by family elders,

Of times when Lahore was in India, &kites flew galore,

When yellow lorded the landscape, &love was in the air………

But today, I stumble, falling hard on the ground,

Petrified of our ever increasing compartmentalization,

Into yours& mine, of snowballing hate& bigotry,

Of the permanence of a lost innocence,

As, from its majestic perch, the fiery tesu needles me,

Observing, as I mourn the disappearance of the meek sparrow,

&breathe the polluted air of my beloved Delhi,

Imprisoned in the ever expanding jungle of concrete,

Hidden behind a murky smokescreen,

Everything smothered by the crazy cacophony of traffic……..

Today, on the auspicious occasion of Basant Panchami,

With all the spirituality flowing within me,

I pray to the God’s I believe in,

To make my memories come alive, once again……

* Butea monosperma or Palash Tree are also called palash, tesu or Flame of the Forest grows as a medium-sized tree and is a native to India. The tree grows up to 40 feet high and has a distinctive appearance due to its grey bark, irregular branches and crooked trunk….. The Palash, or tesu flower, have a striking orange/red hue……..